Disposable dust mop and method of making same

ABSTRACT

A disposable dust mop and method of making same comprising the steps of stitching one or more intermediate rows of yarn to one side of a piece of fabric intermediate one side edge of the fabric and the longitudinal middle thereof, folding the fabric at the middle back against itself along the entire length thereof to provide a fabric support member two layers thick, then stitching an outer row of yarn adjacent the fold with the stitching extending through both layers of fabric, and then stitching another outer row of yarn to the fabric adjacent the two side edges with the stitching also extending through both layers of fabric. Either prior to or during the stitching of the outer row of yarn adjacent the side edges of the fabric, the fabric is desirably slit along the side edge of the fabric which comprises the back layer of the support member at longitudinally spaced apart points, after which the outer row of yarn adjacent the side edges is stitched to the fabric over the slits. The slits extend sufficiently inwardly beyond the stitching for the adjacent outer row of yarn to permit a scissors to be inserted into the slits for cutting the slits all the way across the back layer of fabric to the outer row of stitching adjacent the fold thus providing end pockets between the two layers of fabric for attachment to a mop holder. Finally, the ends of the fabric are stitched together with one or more rows of stitching extending through both layers of fabric and also through the ends of the rows of yarn to prevent unraveling.

United States Patent [191 oss [54] DISPOSABLE DUST MOP AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME [76] Inventor: Theron V. Moss, PO. Box 234,

Cleveland, Tenn. 37311 [22] Filed: Dec. 22, 1972 [21] Appl. N0.: 317,538

52 us. Cl. .Q 15/229 BP,300/21 51 Int. Cl A471 13/253 58 Field of Search 15/147, 226,228,229 R,'

15/229 A, 229 AC, 229 AP, 229 B, 229 BC, 229 HP; 300/21; 401/288 1 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Prirriqry Examiner-Daniel Blum Attorney, Agent, or Firrn-Donnelly, Maky, Renner & Otto 57 ABSTRACT A disposable dust mop and method of making same [451 July 9,1974

comprising the steps of stitching one or more intermediate rows of yarn to one side of a piece of fabric intermediate one side edge of the fabric and the longitudinal middle thereof, folding the fabric at the middle back against itself along the entire length thereof to provide a fabric support member two layers thick, then stitching an outer row of yarn adjacent the fold with the stitching extending through both layers of fabric, and then stitching another outer row of yarn to the fabric adjacent the two side edges with the stitching also extending through both layers of fabric. Either I prior to or during the stitching of the outer row of yarn adjacent the side edges of the fabric, the fabric is desirably slit along the side edge of the fabric which I comprises the back layer of the support member atlongitudinally spaced apart points, after which the outer row of yarn adjacent the side edges is stitched to they fabric over the slits. The slits extend sufficiently inwardly beyond the stitching for the adjacent outer row of yarn to permit a scissors to be inserted into the slits for cutting the slits all the way across the back layer of fabric to the outer row of stitching'adjacent the fold thus providing endpockets between the two layers of fabric for attachment to a mop holder. Fi-

' nally, the ends of the fabric are stitched together with one or more rows of stitching extending through both layers of fabric and also through the ends of the rows of yarn to prevent unraveling.

13 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures DISPOSABLE nusr MOP AND METHODOF MAKING SAME This invention relates generally as indicated to a disposable dust mop and method of making same, and more particularly to a dust mop which may be made at a low enough cost to make it practical to throw the mop away after it has become heavily soiled rather than Another object is to provide such a dust mop which may be quickly and readily made without the use of expensive equipment.

Still another object is to provide such a dust mop which is quite durable and the mop cords are restrained against unraveling and will not. produce excessive lint during use. I

Yet another object is to provide a novel method of providing pockets on the back side of a dust mop for receipt of the ends of a collapsible mop holder.

These and other objects of the present invention may be achieved using a fabric or cloth support member for the mop having a width approximately twice the final desired width of the mop and of the desired length and stitching a first row of yarn along the full length of the I support member approximately one-fourth the distance from one side edge thereof. If more than three rows of yarn are desired, the intermediate rows of yarn are also desirably stitched to the fabric support member at this time, but not the outermost rows.

Next the fabric support'member is folded at the middle back against itself along the entire length thereof to provide a fabric support member two layers thick, after which one of the outer rows of yarn is stitched to the front side of the fabric support member adjacent the fold with the stitching extending through both layers of fabric. Then the other outer row of yarn is stitched to the front side of the fabric support member adjacent the two side edges of the fabric with the stitching also extending through both layers of fabric. Either prior to or during the stitching of the'other outer row of yarn to the fabric support member, the fabric is desirably slit along the side edge of the fabric which comprises the back layer of the support member at approximately one-third the length of the fabric and also at approximately two-thirds of such length. Afterwards the other outer row of yarn is stitched to the fabric over the two slits which extend slightly inwardly beyond the stitching for such other outer row of yarn.

The purpose of slitting the fabric from the side edge is to permit a scissors to be inserted into the slits after the other outer row of yarn has been completely stitched to the fabric so that the slits may be cut all the way across the back layer of fabric to the outer row of stitching adjacent the fold thus providing end pockets between the two layers of fabric for insertion of the foldable ends of a collapsible dust mop holder. Finally, the ends of the fabric support member are stitched together with one or more rows of stitching extending through both layers of fabric and also through the ends of the rows of yarn to prevent unraveling.

. ends, the invention, then,comprises thefeatures hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail a certain illustrative embodiment of the invention, this being indicative, however, of but one of thevarious ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the annexed drawings: j FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a preferred form of dust mop constructed in accordance with the present invention shown attached to a conventional dust mop holder;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 5 are enlarged semi-diagrammatic views illustrating the various steps in the manufacture of the dust mop of FIG. 1; and

FIG.- 4 is a semi-diagrammatic transverse section through the partially completed mop illustrated in FIG. 3.

' DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in detail to the drawings and initially to FIG] thereof, there is shown a preferred form of disposable'dust mop l in accordance with this invention attached to a conventional dust'mop holder 2. The

dust mop l desirably consists of a fabric or cloth sup-. port member 3 having a pair of spaced apart end pockets 4 and 5 on the back side 6 thereof for insertion of the pivotally mounted open frame members 7 of the mop holder therewithin. A plurality of rows 8, 9 and 10 of mop yarn are attached to the front side 11 of the fabric support member, in a manner to be more fully described hereafter. The term yarns as used herein is a generic term which covers all suitable for use in a dust mop.

The procedure preferably to be followed in making the dust mop shown in FIG. '1 will now be described.

First a suitable piece of fabric or cloth l2 approximately twice the final desired width of the mop and of the desired length is selected for use as the support member 3. As an example, the piece of fabric I2 may be approximately 14 to .15 vincheswide and approxi-' mately -19 to 20 inches long, and is desirably initially laid flat on a suitable support thus permitting a first row 8 of yarn to be stitched to the front side 11 of the fabric the full length thereof approximately one-fourth the distance from one side edge 14 thereof as shown in FIG. 2.

The first row 8 of yarn desirably consists of a longituj yarn and cord material Moreover, while it is preferred that the yarn be in the form of loops, it will be apparent that the yarn may have cut ends and be suitably attached either directly to the fabric or to a tape which is then attached to the fabric as desired.

The width of each row of yarn may also be varied as desired depending upon the width of the mop itself and also on the number of rows of yarn included in the mop. The mop 1 of the present invention illustrated by way of example is desirably approximately seven inches wide and includes three rows of yarn each approximately six'to eight inches wide when fully spread out in flattened condition.

If more than three rows of yarn are to be included in the mop, the other intermediate rows of yarn are also stitched to the front side of the same half of the fabric to which the first intermediate row of yarn has already been stitched, with suitable spacing between rows. However, thetwo outermost rows 9 and 10 of yarn are not stitched to the fabric until after the fabric has been folded at the middle back against itself along the entire length thereof to provide a fabric support member 3 two fabric layers thick as shown in FIG. 3. With the fabric thus folded, one of the two outermost rows of yarn is stitched to the front side of the fabric adjacent the fold 18 with the stitching 19 extending through both layers 6 and 11 of fabric as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Next the other outermost row 10 of yarn is stitched to the front side of the fabric adjacent the two side edges 13 and 14 thereof with the stitching 20 extending through both layers 6 and 11 of fabric as further shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. During the stitching of the row 10 of yarn adjacent the side edges thereof from one end of the fabric to the other, the stitching 20 is desirably interrupted at approximately one-third of the length of the fabric and also again at approximately two-thirds of the length of the fabric to permit the operator to slit the fabric from the side edges either through the back layer 6 of fabric only or through both layers 6 and 11 of fabric. The fabric is desirably initially slit inwardly at 21 and 22 only a short distance beyond the line of stitching 20 of the adjacent outer row of yarn, after which the stitching is continued to stitch over the slits 21 and 22 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Alternatively, the two slits 21 and 22 maybe made in the side edge 13 of the fabric either before folding the fabric over as shown in FIG. 2 or afterwards but prior to stitching the outer row 10 of yarn to the fabric adjacent the two side edges thereof.

The purpose of the slits 21 and 22 is to permit a scissors or other cutting implement to be inserted into the slits after the outer row 10 of yarn has been stitched to both layers of fabric to extend the slits all the way across the back layer 6 of fabric to the rows of stitching 19 for the outer row 9 of yarn adjacent the fold 18 thus providing end pockets 4 and 5 on the back side of the support member 3 for insertion of the open frame members 7 of a conventional mop holder 2 within the end pockets as previously described.

The rows of stitching for the outermost rows 9 and 10 of yarn are desirably located approximately onequarter to one-half inch from the two sides 23 and 24 of the mop, and such outermost rows of yarn are also desirably stitched or otherwise secured to a cloth tape 25 prior to stitching to the fabric for ease of handling.

Finally, the ends 26 and 27 of the two folded layers 6 and 11 of fabric are stitched together with one or more rows 28 and 29 of stitching extending through both layers of .fabric and also through the ends of the rows of yarn to prevent unraveling as shown in FIG. 5. Preferably, such end rows of stitching are also located approximately one quarter to one-half inch from the ends of the fabric. Afterwards, the raw edges of the fabric at one side 23 and at both ends 26 and 27 may be trimmed if necessary, but it is preferred that the fabric material be initially cut to the final desired size and the rows of yarn and stitching be applied to the fabric at the desired locations to avoid any final trimming operation.

Although not essential, one of the end pockets, as for example, the end pocket 4 may be slit substantially centrally longitudinally thereof from the transverse slit 21 to the row of stitching 28 adjacent the end 26 of the mop as shown at 30 in FIG. 5 to enable the dust mop to fit onto other types of mop'frames besides the breakdown style referred to above and schematically shown in FIG. 1. Such a dust mop is commonly referred to as a half sleeve mop, and two cloth tape ties 31 and 32 or the like may be stitched or otherwise secured to the edges of the back layer of fabric which define the longitudinal slit 30 to facilitate attachment to a dust mop frame. The ties 31 and 32 are desirably located approximately one-third the distance from the transverse slit 21 to the end of the pocket 4 as shown.

The fabric may be of any suitable material of the desired width and length such as nylon or cotton, and the rows of stitching will prevent the fabric from unraveling past the stitching. However, it is preferred to use a nonraveling fabric such as a synthetic pressed fabric for the support member.

From the foregoing, it will now be apparent that the dust mop of the present invention is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture thereby making it possible to. discard the mop after it has become soiled rather than laundering the mop at all or after only a few launderings.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A dust mop comprising a support member including two fabric layers connected together along one side by a fold, at least one intermediate row of yarn stitched to the outside of one of said fabric layers intermediate the sides thereof, the stitching for said intermediate row of .yam extending through said one fabric layer only, a pair of outer rows of yarn stitched to the outside of said one fabric layer adjacent opposite sides thereof, the stitching for said outer rows of yarn extending through both layers of fabric, and spaced transverse slits in the other fabric layer to facilitate mounting of said dust mop 'on a mop holder.

2. The dust mop of claim 1 further comprising at least I one row of stitching extending through both layers of fabric at each end of said support member.

3. The dust mop of claim 2 wherein said rows of wrapping of yarn collapsed substantially centrally longitudinally thereof with loops on opposite sides of the collapsed central section, said loops of yarn being stitched to said support member along said collapsed central section. I

6. The dust mop of claim 1 wherein there are a pair of said slits in said other fabric layer spaced apart from each other and extending transversely between the sides of the folded support member to facilitate mounting of said dust mop on a mop holder.

7. The dust mop of claim 6 wherein said slits extend from the side edge of said other fabric layer to the stitching for the outer row of yarn adjacent the fold, the stitching from the outer row of yarn adjacent the side edges of said fabric layers extending across said slits to secure the edges of said slits together adjacent the side edges of said fabric.

8. The dust mop of claim 6 further comprising a substantially centrally longitudinally extending slit extending from one of said transversely extending slits toward the adjacent end of said dust mop to facilitate mounting of said dust mop on various types of dust mop frames.

9.'A method of manufacturing a dust mop comprising the steps of stitching one or more intermediate rows of yarn to one side of a single piece of fabric intermediate one side edge of the fabric and the longitudinal middle thereof, folding the fabric at the middle back against itself along the entire length thereof to provide a fabric v v 1 6 edges of the fabric with the stitching also extending through both layers of fabric, and slitting the back side of the fabric support member along spaced transverse lines to facilitate mounting of the dust mop on a mop holder;

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the side edge of the fabric which constitutes the backside of the support member is initially slit slightly beyond the line of stitching for the outer row of yarn adjacent the side edges of the fabric support member, the stitching for the outer row of yarn adjacent the side edges of the fabric support member is then extended over the slit to secure the edges of the slit together along the line of stitching for the outer row of yarn adjacent the side edges of the fabric support member, and the slit is subsequently extended all the way across the back layer of fabric to the outer row of stitching adjacent the fold.

II. The method of claim 9 wherein the back side of the fabric support member is slit all the way across the back layer of fabric to the outer row of stitching adjacent the fold at longitudinally spaced apart points thus providing end pockets between the two layers of fabric for insertion of the foldable ends'of a collapsible dust mop holder.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of slitting one of said end pockets substantially centrallylongitudinally thereof from the transverse slit which defines such one pocket to the adjacent end of the dust mop to facilitate attachment of the dust mop to various types of dust mop frames.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising the r step of stitching the ends of the fabric support member together with the stitching extending through both layers of fabric. 

1. A dust mop comprising a support member including two fabric layers connected together along one side by a fold, at least one intermediate row of yarn stitched to the outside of one of said fabric layers intermediate the sides thereof, the stitching for said intermediate row of yarn extending through said one fabric layer only, a pair of outer rows of yarn stitched to the outside of said one fabric layer adjacent opposite sides thereof, the stitching for said outer rows of yarn extending through both layers of fabric, and spaced transverse slits in the other fabric layer to facilitate mounting of said dust mop on a mop holder.
 2. The dust mop of claim 1 further comprising at least one row of stitching extending through both layers of fabric at each end of said support member.
 3. The dust mop of claim 2 wherein said rows of stitching at the ends of said support member also extend through the ends of said rows of yarn.
 4. The dust mop of claim 1 wherein said outer rows of yarn are secured to cloth tapes which are in turn stitched to said fabric layers.
 5. The dust mop of claim 1 wherein said rows of yarn are in the form of a longitudinally extending coiled wrapping of yarn collapsed substantially centrally longitudinally thereof with loops on opposite sides of the collapsed central section, said loops of yarn being stitched to said support member along said collapsed central section.
 6. The dust mop of claim 1 wherein there are a pair of said slits in said other fabric layer spaced apart from each other and extending transversely between the sides of the folded support member to facilitate mounting of said dust mop on a mop holder.
 7. The Dust mop of claim 6 wherein said slits extend from the side edge of said other fabric layer to the stitching for the outer row of yarn adjacent the fold, the stitching from the outer row of yarn adjacent the side edges of said fabric layers extending across said slits to secure the edges of said slits together adjacent the side edges of said fabric.
 8. The dust mop of claim 6 further comprising a substantially centrally longitudinally extending slit extending from one of said transversely extending slits toward the adjacent end of said dust mop to facilitate mounting of said dust mop on various types of dust mop frames.
 9. A method of manufacturing a dust mop comprising the steps of stitching one or more intermediate rows of yarn to one side of a single piece of fabric intermediate one side edge of the fabric and the longitudinal middle thereof, folding the fabric at the middle back against itself along the entire length thereof to provide a fabric support member two layers thick having a front side to which the intermediate row of yarn is stitched and a back side, stitching an outer row of yarn to the front side of the fabric support member adjacent the fold with the stitching extending through both layers of fabric, stitching another outer row of yarn to the front side of the fabric support member adjacent the two side edges of the fabric with the stitching also extending through both layers of fabric, and slitting the back side of the fabric support member along spaced transverse lines to facilitate mounting of the dust mop on a mop holder.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the side edge of the fabric which constitutes the back side of the support member is initially slit slightly beyond the line of stitching for the outer row of yarn adjacent the side edges of the fabric support member, the stitching for the outer row of yarn adjacent the side edges of the fabric support member is then extended over the slit to secure the edges of the slit together along the line of stitching for the outer row of yarn adjacent the side edges of the fabric support member, and the slit is subsequently extended all the way across the back layer of fabric to the outer row of stitching adjacent the fold.
 11. The method of claim 9 wherein the back side of the fabric support member is slit all the way across the back layer of fabric to the outer row of stitching adjacent the fold at longitudinally spaced apart points thus providing end pockets between the two layers of fabric for insertion of the foldable ends of a collapsible dust mop holder.
 12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of slitting one of said end pockets substantially centrally longitudinally thereof from the transverse slit which defines such one pocket to the adjacent end of the dust mop to facilitate attachment of the dust mop to various types of dust mop frames.
 13. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of stitching the ends of the fabric support member together with the stitching extending through both layers of fabric. 